This page shows an overview of the most common basic emoticons. With these basic Smileys everything started and changed to the animated emoticons as we all know them today. If you are interested to read a short history about the emoticons. Some chartrooms still use the emoticons and do not translate the emoticons to images. You can also still use these basic emoticons for your e-mail also.
Emoticons are also used to show some kind of action. At this page you find some of the most common actions used during chat sessions. These are also used for all messenger programs, but in some cases become an icon.